


bone apple tea

by godofmorons



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/godofmorons/pseuds/godofmorons
Summary: cute date idea: we go to the botanical gardens. u point at all the plants u like. i eat them.
Relationships: Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66





	bone apple tea

**Author's Note:**

> based on a meme by [@notgojira](https://twitter.com/notgojira/status/1290147201369292800) and art by [@_NAIZU](https://twitter.com/_NAIZU/status/1290336351485693952). this is very stupid and i am very sorry.

Ryuji’s uncomfortable. His shoulders are stiff, his back is ramrod straight, and the palm of his hand is sweaty against her own. It’s easy to see through the tough guy front Ryuji puts up; for all his posturing, he wears his heart on his sleeve. 

She can't blame him. Not only is this their first official date together, but Ryuji... well, to put it bluntly, he looks out of place. Haru’s willing to bet that ordinarily, Ryuji would never have set foot inside a botanical garden. 

And yet, he was the one who asked Haru to meet him here. Affection swelled up in Haru's heart, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide the smile that curved her lips. Once she had gotten to know Ryuji, he was as easy to read as her favorite book. 

Haru squeezes his hand gently in an attempt to reassure him, her eyes flickering up to his face. "Thank you again for bringing me here, Ryuji. I really appreciate it." 

She watches as the tips of his ears turn red. Who would have thought Ryuji Sakamoto was so easy to fluster? "It's nothing, just figured it would be better than taking you to eat ramen or something..." 

"I would love to eat ramen with you!" Haru beams up at him without hesitation, and Ryuji blinks at her before rubbing the back of his neck, gaze averted and unwilling to meet her own. 

"A-Anyway! Where do you want to go next?" 

A deflection. Ah well, she'll simply have to ask him about it again later. 

"Hmm..." Haru taps a finger against her cheek as she considers the signpost before them. "Well, we've already seen most of the outdoor collections, so let's go check out the greenhouses next!" 

Ryuji nods, letting her lead the way as she tugs on his hand. His fingers are so tense around hers it’s almost enough to make her giggle. The poor boy iss so nervous. She has to think of something to say to take his mind off his thoughts! 

"Do you have a favorite flower, Ryuji?" she asks, swinging their hands between them as they walk down the path. 

She watches him frown out of the corner of her eye. "Uh, I dunno. I guess I kind of like sunflowers? They're my mom's favorites." The last part was spoken softly, every word full of adoration. Haru's heart melts. 

"Aw, I love sunflowers too! They make me so happy whenever I see them." 

Ryuji grins, his excitement showing in both his stance and his voice. "I know right? They're so big and bright you kind of can't help but be in a good mood around them." 

Haru giggles. "We should visit a sunflower farm sometime, I bet it'd be fun." 

"Yeah, that might be nice." They arrive at the end of the path, and at the entrance to one of the garden's greenhouses. Ryuji holds the door open for her, to which Haru thanks him. 

The greenhouse is warm, so much so that Ryuji takes off his hoodie and ties it around his waist after a few minutes. Haru soon follows suit, carrying her cardigan in the crook of her arm. There are rows upon rows of different plants, some with brightly-colored leaves or with strange flowers. Haru begins walking down one of the aisles, Ryuji following behind her. 

"Oh wow, they have plants from all over the world..." Haru crouches down to get a better look at some of them, her eyes wide with wonder. Ryuji squats beside her, a puzzled look on his face. 

"Do you actually know the names of all these plants? That's incredible." 

Haru shakes her head, her hair bouncing around her face. "Not all of them, but I do recognize some of these! This one is valerian..." She gestures to a plant with small, pink flowers. "And this one is tarragon..." She nods to a plant with thin leaves. "And that, I believe, is a marshmallow plant!" She points at another plant with white flowers. 

Ryuji perks up. "Marshmallow? Like the candy?" 

"Yes, though modern marshmallows aren't made with-- Wait, Ryuji--!" 

She’s too late; before she can stop him, Ryuji plucks a leaf off the marshmallow plant and sticks it in his mouth. A moment passes before he spits it back out again, his mouth open and tongue sticking out. 

"Bleh! Aw man, it tastes likes raw cabbage." 

Haru can’t help herself; the distraught expression on Ryuji's face sends her into a fit of giggles. 

Ryuji pouts, though he doesn’t seem particularly bothered by it. "Well, I'm glad someone's entertained." 

She struggles to collect herself, giggling behind her hands as she glances up at him. "S-Sorry, you ate it before I could finish explaining. The _root_ of the plant was used to make candy many years ago, but these days marshmallows are made with sugar and gelatin." 

"Ohhh, I see. No wonder it wasn't as sweet as I thought it'd be." Ryuji grins at her. "You sure do know a lot, Haru." 

Haru smiles, embarrassed. "Not really, I just pick up quite a bit of trivia during my research." She leans over to kiss him on the cheek, patting him on the arm with bright eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to point out all the tasty plants for you from now on, okay?" 

For a second, Ryuji seems startled, his eyes wide before his face flushes bright red. He coughs into his hand, almost scrambling to stand back up. "Uh thanks but no thanks, I'm not doing that again." He holds out his hand to help Haru up. 

She places her hand in his, standing up with a hop and a mischievous grin. "Aw, not even if I pinky promise they'll taste good?" 

Ryuji smiles back at her, his fingers gently lacing through hers. "You know what? Sure, it's a deal."

**Author's Note:**

> they were later kicked out of the greenhouse after a staff member finally caught them eating the plants. 💖


End file.
